When it comes to voter preference, a candidate’s positions on the issues
count. But some may check a name on a ballot for a more primal reason:
the candidate’s stature.

Researchers at Texas Tech University suggest that height affects voters’
preference in political leaders, possibly for instinctive reasons going
back to caveman days.

The findings were published in the journal Social Science Quarterly by
political science professor Gregg Murray and graduate student David
Schmitz.

"A near-universal fear of snakes and a preference for unhealthy fatty
foods likely evolved from a time when snakes were a common threat and
caloric intake was uncertain,” Murray says. “We believe similar traits
exist in politics."

The authors point to what’s called the "big man" tribal leadership of
many ancient societies, as well as the impact of physical strength on
status in the animal kingdom. And they note that the taller candidate
has won 58 percent of U.S. presidential elections between 1789 and 2008.

Abraham Lincoln, at 193 centimeters, was one of our tallest presidents.
He loomed over his second opponent, Stephen A. Douglas, who stood just
163 centimeters.

The authors asked 467 American and foreign-born college students to draw
a figure that represented their concept of a "typical citizen" and an
"ideal national leader" before being asked to draw both figures
together. Sixty-four percent drew the leader taller than the citizen.

The
researchers then asked the students to assess themselves as leaders and
potential political candidates. The results revealed a statistically
significant association between height and the students’ self-assessment
as leaders.

Researcher Schmitz writes that "culture and environment alone cannot
explain how a preference for taller leaders is a near-universal trait we
see in different cultures today, as well as in societies ranging from
ancient Mayans, to pre-classical Greeks and even animals."

At 185 centimeters - 6'1" - Barack Obama was noticeably taller than his
173-centimeer (5'8") Republican opponent, John McCain, in 2008. But at
least two of his potential opponents in 2012 - former governors Rick
Perry and Mitt Romney - are as tall, or a little taller, than the
president.